JP-A-2004-31579 discloses a carrier system including a processing equipment unit, a carrier, and an opener. The processing equipment unit performs a predetermined manufacturing process on a carried object such as a silicon wafer. The carrier carries the carried object accommodated in a case. The processing equipment unit is equipped with the opener configured to enable the carrier to mount the case on the opener. The processing equipment unit includes a processing-equipment control unit. The processing-equipment control unit in turn includes one control unit to control the manufacturing process and another control unit to control elevation of the case. The carrier includes a carrier-optical communication unit and is movable along a rail located to pass above the opener, while holding the carried object. The rail is equipped with a rail-optical communication unit located above the opener and configured to be paired with the carrier-optical communication unit. The rail-optical communication unit and the carrier-optical communication unit are configured to exchange signals therebetween when the carrier arrives at a position above the opener. The rail-optical communication unit is coupled with the processing-equipment control panel included in the processing equipment unit via a signal line. In the present configuration, when the carrier arrives at the position above the opener after moving along the rail, the carrier exchanges signal with the processing-equipment control panel via the rail-optical communication unit to mount the case on the opener.
It is noted that the processing equipment unit of the carrier system is equipped with the control unit configured to control elevation of the case. In such a configuration, when the processing equipment unit is replaced, the processing equipment unit needs to be equipped with a new processing-equipment control panel, which includes a control unit for controlling elevation of the case. Consequently, there is an associated replacement cost for the processing-equipment control panel each time the processing equipment unit of the carrier system is replaced. Further, in a case where the carrier system includes multiple processing equipment units, each of the processing equipment units includes its own processing-equipment control panel. In this case, each processing-equipment control panel has a control unit to control elevation of the case. Thus, there is an associated replacement cost for each processing-equipment control panel each time the processing equipment unit of the carrier system is replaced. Consequently, the present carrier system has a high associated manufacturing cost.